Together Forever, As You Promised
by Kurenai Chou
Summary: UPDATED! Finally! Mikan and Natsume arrived at a small village with no inhabitants at all. Where are they? What happened to Mikan? Well, just read and don't forget to review!
1. Leaving the academy

**Hi dear reader! Sorry if I don't have any summaries, I just can't think of one, but I do promise you this story will be good. I could only tell you that it's about Mikan and Natsume that got lost then they went in this very huge mansion then they can't get out then they found out the secret behind that mansion and it has something to do with Mikan. **

**Just review me and tell me if you didn't like the ending because I'll make an alternate ending (you'll know why you might not like the ending if you finished the story). Arigatou!! Well, here's the story!**

**Note: Sentences in **' ' **means thoughts while **_italicized_** sentence means a flashback.**

**--**

_**Didn't we promise each other... that we would be together... forever?**_

_**--**_

"As principal of this academy, I now declare everyone present here, graduates. Congratulations!" everyone cheered. It was finally the day they got out of this damned academy, the day these birds got out of their cages. Yup, the day of their graduation has finally come.

"The academy gates are now open for you all. We surely will miss you and have a safe life outside." the principal continued. The cheers didn't cease, in fact, it grew louder. Suddenly, a random student threw his cap up in the sky, then everyone did the same. Life can't get any better.

**- Half an hour later -**

Many students had already left the academy while few of them still roamed around the school. One of these few is our favorite fire caster, sitting under his favorite sakura tree, reading a manga. We would think that he should be the one to first step out of this academy 'cause he hates it here. But no, there's actually a reason why he stayed behind. He just wanted to see his favorite little, brunette girl, well, maybe not so little now.

"Natsume!" came the voice of a running brunette. The raven haired lad lowered his manga then looked at the panting girl in front of him.

"Gomenasai for being late, Natsume. So, what do you want to talk about?" Natsume patted the ground beside him, motioning Mikan to sit down. She sat down without a second thought.

"What do you want to talk about?" she asked again but no reply. "Oh yeah, before that, where's my graduation gift? You said you'll give me one. Where is it?"

"I don't have one."

"What?! But you said you'll give me one! No fair! And I even gave you one, where's the one I gave you?"

"I threw it away."

"HUH?! WHY?!"

"Don't be too loud you idiot! I'm sitting beside you. You're making my ears bleed. To shut you up, here." he handed her a small white box with a gold ribbon tied around it. The brunette could only stare at it.

"Wow, it looks expensive. Is it a ring? Don't tell me you're proposing?" she exclaimed jokingly. The boy could only look away with embarrassment.

"No way!! You are?!" Mikan quickly opened but to her surprise...

"Nothing's... in it?? WAAAHHHH!! Don't tell me your gift is-"

"The box. Plus the ribbon." continued Natsume as he smirked inwardly at the sobbing Mikan.

"WAAHHHH!! I hate you!! And to think we dated. You selfish, stubborn-" she wasn't able to continue when his lips crash into hers. It was a gentle kiss at first but then it turned into a passionate one as their kiss deepens. The first one to pull back was Natsume.

"-pervert." she said, continuing her previous sentence. Natsume stood up then turned his back on her.

"Come on. We're meeting up with the Ruka and Imai, right?"

"But what about my gift?" Mikan asked as she too, stood up.

"You're already wearing it." he started to walk away, leaving the confused Mikan.

"Wearing it?" she held her neck then felt something. When she looked at it, it was none other than a necklace, but instead of some pendant, a silver ring with diamonds was there.

"Aww, Natsume, you're so sweet." she said softly then quickly followed suit.

**- In front of the academy -**

"Hotaru!!" she called out to her best friend from afar. Hotaru was holding her baka gun, ready to shoot at her, but she stopped.

"Maybe one hug wouldn't hurt." she whispered to herself then kept the gun. Mikan came charging at her, arms spread wide, shocked that her best friend isn't pointing the baka gun at her.

"Oh Hotaru!" she exclaimed as she squeezed her best friend tight.

"That's... enough... can't... breath." Hotaru said. Natsume went to Ruka then patted his shoulder as a greeting. The latter just smiled and nodded in response.

"Sorry." she let go of Hotaru then smiled her signature smile. "I can't believe we actually graduated!"

"I know. Especially for an idiot like you."

"Don't be so mean, Hotaru. So, what are we going to do now?" an awkward silence surrounded the group. The silence was interrupted when Ruka cleared his throat.

"I heard there's this beach resort north from here. Many of the students will go there for a vacation before going to their hometown. Is it okay if we go there? We might see the others." he glanced at each and everyone of his companion. Hotaru nodded before picking up her cell phone which was ringing inside her bag.

"Yeah! It would be fun to go to the beach! Can we go Natsume, please?" Mikan begged with her adorable puppy dog eyes. Before Natsume could speak, or protest, Hotaru spoke.

"That was Anna. She was asking us to join them to the beach resort Ruka had just mentioned." Hotaru said with her monotonous voice.

"Then it's decided! We'll all go!" Mikan cheerfully declared. "Since Natsume and Hotaru are the only ones with a car given by the school, we'll be divided into two groups. I'll go with Natsume, and Ruka goes with Hotaru. Understand?" everyone nodded in agreement.

"And to make it more fun, let's race there." Ruka added.

"How do we get there anyway?"

"I know how to get there, idiot. Now just get in the car and let's get this over with."

"Mou, Natsume. You don't have to be mean." Mikan said as she slid inside Natsume's black Ferrari, sitting on the passenger's seat. Hotaru and Ruka did the same with Hotaru's violet Ferrari. These Ferraris, by the way, was a present from the head principal because both Natsume and Hotaru are honor students.

"Hey, Hotaru. Can I drive?" Ruka looked at the stoic, inventor's eyes staring back at him.

"No way. But if you really want to, you'll have to pay me."

"Uhm, never mind. You drive." He sat beside the driver's seat then fastened his seat belt. Knowing Hotaru for a lot of years, she's kind of a fast driver. He knows because he can't even catch her riding on her scooter while he's already riding on a cheetah.

'Good times'_. _Ruka thought to himself without knowing that he chuckled.

"What are you chuckling about?" Hotaru asked before starting the engine.

"What? Oh, it's nothing." He looked out the window and his eyes averted to the elementary building. That was where it all started. He's got to admit, he's going to miss this school. Even though they tortured his best friend, they still had a great time in there.

"Are you guys ready?" Mikan asked from the other car. Hotaru nodded to her, at the same time, smiling. Mikan smiled back in return. She then turned to face Natsume who was seating himself comfortably on the driver's seat.

"Are you ready?" she whispered in a low voice. The lad beside her turned to her then held her chin up.

"I'm always ready." He said in a seductive voice then crashed her lips on his own. It was just a short kiss; it didn't take an hour like a few of their previous make-out sessions in his room. **But**, they haven't done **it **yet. (A/N: if you know what I mean, which I know you do because this is a **T** fic.)

"Natsume, you've got to stop kissing me every now and then. Not that I don't like it or anything, it's just embarrassing. We could do it but not in public."

"I can do whatever I want to do to my girl, so shut it."

"Hmph! You're always like that." She crossed her arms in front of her chest then pouted so cutely.

"You can't fool me with that pout of yours." He smirked at her then started the engine. "Oi, Imai. Are you ready to lose?" the inventor glared at him then said in her coldest voice ever-

"In your dreams, Hyuuga." They glared at each other for a long time when Ruka started to talk.

"Uhm, Mikan, you should do the counting before it really gets hot in here."

"You're right." She turned to Hotaru, then to Natsume, then to Hotaru again. "Alright racers, the rule is simple. Race to the beach and whoever goes there first will be the masters of the losers. Got that?" both Hotaru and Natsume nod their heads without taking their glares off of each other.

"Race starts in 3!"

"2!" The two stopped glaring at each other then turned to face the road, both wishing the other to lose.

"1!"

"GO!"

**Okay, Chapter 1 finished. So, how was it? Any wrong grammars or spelling? Please tell me and I'll change it immediately. Flames, by the way are highly accepted, but please, don't include any of the colorful vocabularies that can be found or that cannot be found in the dictionary. I don't know when I'll post the 2****nd**** Chapter so please patiently wait for it.**

**I'll now be thanking in advance those who reviewed (even though it's a flame). THANK YOU!**

**-Kurenai Chou-**

**P.S. I need a lot of reviews in this story. If it reaches 10 or above, I may be able to post the 2****nd**** Chapter quickly.**

**THANKS AGAIN!!**


	2. The Dream

**Ohayo/Konnichiwa/Konbanwa minna! This is Kurenai Chou giving you Chapter 2! It's going to be busy these coming days so I thought that I should update now. Anyways, thank you to those who reviewed (even though there are only two). It gave me motivation to type faster. **

**This chapter is dedicated to "krishaNe" and "Vampiresango" for being the first two reviewers of this story. I hope you will continue supporting this story, and never forget to review!**

**Disclaimer: There is no way in hell for me to own Gakuen Alice. Everyone knows that it is owned by none other than the great Higuchi Tachibana.**

**NOTE: From here onwards, sentences that are italicized and bold are flashbacks. **

**Anyway, without further ado, here's CHAPTER 2!!**

_**Why'd you leave me, onee-chan? I thought you love me. Why?**_

_**--**_

"Mou, Natsume. You've been driving for hours. I'm getting kinda bored." Mikan complained as she kept on fiddling with the window.

"What do you mean hours? The race had just begun, idiot."

"But we already lost track of Hotaru's car!"

"We're not supposed to follow them. This is a race. We have to find another way to get to the beach faster. Is it me or are you getting stupider by the second?" Mikan playfully punched Natsume's shoulder. "Ouch. That hurt you know." He said sarcasm in his voice.

"Anyway, it'll take us two hours before we reach the beach. I'll just take a nap for a while so wake me up when we get there."

"Yeah. Good night, honey."

"Don't say that, _sweetie_, it's disgusting. You're being a flirt now, huh?" She giggled at what she said to him. Though she doesn't mean it anyway. He grunted at this.

"Just shut up and get some sleep."

"Hai hai." Mikan looked out the window before closing her eyes and going to her own fantasy called dreamland.

_I opened my eyes but saw nothing. It's dark. Everywhere I look, I see nothing. Where am I? Then I suddenly heard a soft, little girl's voice calling out to me._

"_Onee-chan…"_

"_Who…who are you?"_

"_Onee-chan! Help me!"_

"_What are you talking about? I'm not your onee-chan."_

"_Why did you leave?"_

"_Leave? Leave from where?"_

"_You promised me you won't."_

"_I don't understand what you're talking about. Where am I? Where is this place?"_

"_But we'll be together soon. Just… as… you…promised…"_

_Then, I saw a light from the distance. I heard a very much familiar voice call me._

"_Mikan…"_

_That was definitely Natsume. I ran quickly to the light. From where I am, it looks like an exit. Fortunately, it's not getting farther like those told in some stories. I finally got out, looking around me, I find myself in an unusual yet familiar place. A big mansion, probably in the depths of the forest, obviously because of the trees that I see everywhere. But…_

_Where's Natsume?_

_I'm definite that I heard his voice here, but he is nowhere to be found. This is getting strange. First, is this place, then that girl calling me onee-chan, and Natsume is nowhere to be seen! Maybe I'm only dreaming. Yes, maybe this is a dream! There's no mistake about it._

_THUD!_

_Huh? What was that? I leaned my ear closer to the wooden gate to see, or rather hear if someone is there. I heard mumbling sounds and sobs. Who's crying?_

_I pushed opened the wooden gate slowly and to my surprise, I see Natsume, kneeling on the floor, both hands covering the face, and he's…_

_Crying?_

_Am I seeing right? **The** Natsume Hyuuga crying?! Why? What could have made my Natsume-kun cry?_

"_Natsume?" I called out but no response. I walked closer to him. "Natsume, what's wrong?" I kneeled in front of him, copying his position. I reached my hand out to soothe him but before I was able to touch him, I heard a faint whisper. Fortunately, it was loud enough for me to hear._

"_Mikan…" I widened my eyes in surprise. It's not every time that Natsume calls me by my first name._

"_Natsume, I'm here." I whispered, my voice cracking a little. Can't he hear me?_

"_Why did you go?" he continued and didn't even stopped crying. I was about to touch him when I felt hands, cold, very cold hands cover my eyes. I jumped a little by surprise then tried to get out from the very tight grip. I could almost feel his or her tiny fingers claw in to my eyes._

_Wait._

_Tiny fingers?_

_A kid?_

_The one who's covering my eyes is a kid?_

"_You're not going anywhere, onee-chan." The creepy, yet small voice of a little girl said._

"_Let go of me! Natsume!" I shouted out but no reply._

"_We're finally together." I stopped struggling. All the hairs on my back rose. Was is it me, or was this girl's voice sounded pretty much like an old lady coming out for revenge?_

"_Let go of me, you weirdo!!" the hands slowly fell and I find myself once again, isolated into the darkness._

_I tried to move my hands but I can't because my arms are tied up with chains. Chains? Why chains? Why am I tied up in the first place?_

_I heard footsteps coming closer. The footsteps stopped just a few feet in front of where I am, so I shut my eyes closed, even though it's already dark, and prepared myself to whatever is coming._

_Three seconds passed and still nothing happened._

"_Mikan…" I heard a very familiar voice said._

"_Natsume! It's you! Help me get out of these chains!" I cried out. Good thing he's here, wherever 'here' is. The place started to light up because of Natsume's fire. He made a few float around me and some just above him._

"_Oh, thank goodness. I thought I was going to die… Natsume? Hey, what's wrong?" Natsume was just standing a few feet away from me, his crimson eyes covered by his long fringes. _

"_Hey can you hear me? Help me up with these-" I stopped talking then stared at his eyes which were finally revealed. His eyes weren't the same crimson ones I know. In fact, they were much darker, maroon, maybe? _

_He stared back at me. I shivered upon seeing that his eyes were full of hatred and the other one I can't seem to recognize. He's giving me one of his glares, one I haven't seen before and right now, he's giving off a murderous aura._

_He approached me, striding slowly like his usual self, though I doubt if he's even his usual self. He reached his right hand out to me then stopping just a few inches away from my face. His hands glowed and I closed my eyes shut not wanting to get blind._

_After a few seconds, I finally opened my eyes then gasped at what my eyes saw._

"_Where in God's name did you get that thing!?" I exclaimed while still staring at his out-stretched arm, holding a very long, maybe a foot, knife. But since it's long, we can consider it as a sword. A very sharp, not to mention pointed sword. He didn't reply but instead he pointed it at me, its pointed end almost touching my cheeks._

"_What the hell are you doing?! Natsume! Wake up! I know you're in there!" he didn't even move an inch at what I said! _

_I stopped breathing for a while, afraid that one slight movement would cause me to my death. I felt hot, endless tears streaming down my cheeks._

"_Stop it, Natsume. Please." At that said, his right hand fell limply to his sides but he still had that murderous aura surrounding him. _

_Does he want to kill me?!_

_I gasped for the second time when Natsume raised his right hand, the one holding the long knife, above his shoulders. And finally, I recognized that other feeling written in his eyes…_

_Sorrow_

_Everything suddenly went in slow motion. Natsume's hand quickly came down, the knife pointing directly at my heart._

_This is it._

_I'm gonna die._

_I didn't try to scream. Why should I? This is just a dream right? _

_No. This isn't a dream. _

_This is a nightmare._

_A few more milliseconds and I can probably see heaven. Any last words? I ask myself. I thought three words, three simple words which have a lot of meaning, only for Natsume to hear. Can you guess what it is?_

"_I. Love. You."_

Mikan woke up with a start, sweating a lot even though the car's air conditioning is perfectly fine.

'_What the hell was that nightmare all about?'_

She looked to her side then saw Natsume in his usual self, his face filled with boredom, driving on a highway.

"Natsume." She called.

"Hm?"

"Can we stop by a gasoline station? I need to go."

"Can't you hold it on for a couple more hours?"

"No. I really need to go."

"Fine. The next gasoline station we see."

"Yeah, thanks."

"So, what's with the sweating too much? Are you sick or am I just too hot for you?" he turned his head for a while, facing her with a smirk painted on his face. He quickly looked back at the road after Mikan playfully punched him on the shoulders

"I don't know. Both, maybe?" she said then giggled. "Anyway, I just had this weird dream. Weird indeed."

"What's it about?"

"Me, dying. And you know, the one who killed me was…" she paused for a while for a dramatic effect.

A minute passed

"Who, you idiot?!"

"Oh, right. I just had a daydream. Anyway, it's you."

Silence

"Me?" Natsume finally said, breaking the long, eerie silence.

"Yeah, you. Unbelievable, isn't it?" the raven haired lad chuckled.

"You have got to be kidding me."

"I know. It's very weird."

"So, how did _I _kill you?"

"You used a knife. A long one. So long, it could be called a sword."

"Right. Oh look, there's a gas station."

"Uh, finally!"

**Okay, that's it for Chapter 2. Please review nicely, though flames are highly acceptable. **


	3. Short proposal

**Hey, guys. Uhm, I'm really really really really and a thousand more really sorry for the late update, but at least I updated, right? Our computer had a teeny weensy incy bit of problem so I wasn't able to use it. What a lame excuse, I know. So anyways, here is Chapter 3 brought to you by none other than yours truly, Kurenai Chou. Please review after reading and tell me if it was nice or not. No worries, I don't bite, I just scratch. : ) that was just a joke.**

**DISCLAIMER: I NEVER OWNED GAKUEN ALICE AND I NEVER WILL. BUT I DO WISH I DO, ANYONE DOES.**

_**Hurry. The ritual will begin soon.**_

_**--**_

"Uh, finally." Mikan got out of the car then closed the door behind her. She went to the driver's side then knocked on Natsume's window.

"I'm just going to the restroom, okay? You stay here and don't you leave me behind."

"Don't worry. I won't." a final smirk from the guy before Mikan made her way in the store to the bathroom.

Mikan was washing her hands in the bathroom when a small girl who has silky, long, black hair, maybe between the ages of 6 to 8, entered then stared at her. There was a short silence when the girl finally spoke.

"What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be in the village?" the girl asked. The brunette merely stared at her, while raising a brow.

"What are you talking about?" she bent down her level then put her left hand on the girl's head. "What's your name?"

"I'm Ayu. But that's not important now, the ritual will soon begin, you should go now."

"I don't know what you're talking about, Ayu-chan." Honestly, Mikan really doesn't know. Ayu only giggled at her statement.

"Ne, ne, do you want me to tell you a secret?"

"Uh, sure. Let's hear it then." Ayu looked left and right to see if anyone was there. She then motioned Mikan to come closer. She cupped her mouth with her hands then leaned in to whisper something.

_**SILENCE**_

Mikan widened her eyes at what Ayu said. The little girl just giggled more before going out of the bathroom. But she was certain that she heard her say something, or rather whispered something before coming out.

"It was nice meeting you, _Chou-sama_."

A few minutes had passed and Mikan was still there, staring into space. It was when her phone rang that she got out from her own world. She fished out her phone from her pocket then answered the call.

"He-hello?" she tried hard not to stammer but it was just so hard not to. The little girl was pretty scary, and her phone suddenly ringing made her life shorter than what it was before.

"Oi, polka-dots, what's taking so long?" she sighed in relief to know that it was only Natsume.

"Natsume, it's only you."

"Well, who the hell do you think it was? Hurry up or we're gonna lose this stupid race."

"Uh, y-yeah. I almost forgot about that. I'll see you there in a few seconds." She hang up then returned her phone in her bag.

She stood straight then faced herself to the mirror.

"Get a grip Mikan. It was just a girl playing a prank on you. Yeah, that's it." She said mainly to herself. She slapped her face with both hands when she suddenly heard what Ayu said to her in her mind.

"_You're gonna die soon."_

_Die soon…_

_Die soon…_

The sentence just keeps on replaying on her mind.

"_You're gonna die soon."_

"Ugh!! Mou, I hate this!" she splashed her face with water to calm herself down. Water always makes her calm.

She got a hanky out of her pocket then wiped her face dry. When she looked back at the mirror, instead of seeing herself only, she saw someone who awfully looks like her. The only difference is, the other Mikan has blood splattered all over her outfit, and herself. And _that_ _scary_ _Mikan_ was staring menacingly at the _real_ Mikan, with a sly smirk on her face, her _bloody_ face.

The bloody Mikan stretched her hands forward, as if to reach for her neck and strangle her.

She was about to scream when the bloody Mikan suddenly disappeared with a blink of an eye. Another silence filled the bathroom.

"Oh God, I've got to get out of here." She quickly walked out of the bathroom, saying to herself to not look back.

"I'm starting to hallucinate stuffs. I must be getting crazy" She finally got out of the store and out into the open where Natsume's car is waiting with Natsume, leaning on it.

"What the hell took you so long? You're so pale; you look like you've seen a ghost." Natsume stated and indeed, the brunette's face was whiter and paler than that of a piece of paper.

"Well, you could say that or it's either I was just hallucinating things." She replied. Natsume chuckled a little before opening the door to the driver's seat and going in.

"Whatever. Now get in so we could go already." Mikan happily obliged. She's glad they could finally get away from the gasoline station, where a haunted bathroom lies.

Natsume started the car and after a few seconds, they were back on the road.

"Tell me," Natsume started. "what exactly happened in the bathroom?"

"It's… nothing really." She lied. If she tells him the truth, he'll just think that she's crazy or even laugh at her, though she doubts the second option.

"By the look on your face, you're keeping me secret."

"Could we just please," Mikan said, raising her voice a bit. "stop this conversation? Start a new topic." Natsume turned his head to face her, giving her a confused look before putting his eyes back on the road.

"Okay, fine. Let's talk about our future."

"Uhm, could we talk about something else?"

"No." he flatly replied. "We already changed the first topic, we won't change this." A smirk made its way to his face and all Mikan could do was to sigh heavily.

"It's too early to be talking about that."

"It's not too early. We had just graduated college and in fact, we're already engaged." An awkward silence followed after that. And after maybe 30 seconds, Mikan was the first to break it.

"WE ARE?!"

"Yes, we are, idiot." Natsume said in a calm demeanor. "Don't tell me you forgot the ring I gave you."

"But I thought this was just a gift!! You didn't tell me it was an engagement ring!! God, Natsume! I haven't even said yes!" the car suddenly made a quick stop, pushing Mikan out of her seat and crashing on the window in front, but not breaking it though. She just got to forget to fasten her seatbelt this time.

Mikan was rubbing her head when Natsume spoke up.

"Why? Won't you say yes to me?" she gasped. When she turned to look at Natsume, she saw hurt evident in his eyes. She tapped his lap then smiled sweetly at him. The one smile that makes everyone's worries fade away.

"Of course I'd say yes to you. You just didn't ask." He smiled back at her when she giggled heartily. He held her chin up then leaned closer and successfully giving her a passionate kiss. She kissed back with even passion.

After that, Natsume started his car once more and they were off to their journey towards their destination. But what they didn't know that their life will take a sharp turn and will end up in a different world filled with hate, sorrow, and loneliness.

**This chapter is finished. I'm very sorry again for the very late update. To make it up to you readers out there who like my fic, I promise to you that I'll update soon. Maybe tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow, or the day after tomorrow's tomorrow.**

**Anyways, don't forget to review! I love people who review! Seriously, review or flame, I can take it all!**

**-Kurenai Chou**


	4. Memories kept hidden

**HERE'S CHAPTER 4 FOR YOU, MY DEAR READER. TO ALL WHO REVIEWED ON THE PREVIOUS CHAPTERS, I THANK YOU VERY MUCH. WELL, WITHOUT FURTER ADO, HERE'S THE STORY!**

**_Long time no see, dearest sister._**

"Are you sure we're going on the right way? Your GPS has been saying 'Wrong way' since we turned to this shortcut." Asked a bored Mikan, pushing buttons on the car's GPS, trying to make the talking stop.

"Don't worry. We won't get lost. We're not even going to the beach yet."

"Not going to the beach yet? Then we'll lose the race! Hotaru and Ruka could be there already."

"I don't care if we lose. I'll have to show you something, or rather, I have to take you someplace."

"Ok, sure!" Mikan cheerfully said.

After waiting for another 5 minutes, Natsume finally stopped the car. Are we there in his said place? I turned to him and saw him staring at me, a small smile gracing his features. I smiled too.

I got out of the car then inhaled a rather huge amount of air before letting it all out in one sigh of relief.

I scanned my surroundings then realized that we stopped on the road just beside the forest. I looked left to right, right to left, and to my back, I saw Natsume approaching me.

"So, do you remember?" he asked, pulling me close to him, in a warm embrace.

"Hmm, not really." I said, but seriously, I really don't remember anything.

There was a short pause when finally, Natsume pointed to a rather huge tree then beckoned me to follow him. And I did. He went to the back of the tree then pointed to a white stone which seems to be out of place. I raised my brow at him questioningly before squatting down the ground then lifting the stone up.

He squatted beside me then dug the soil which was covered by the stone. It wasn't long before he pulled out a small, white, treasure box.

"What's that?" I asked. He said nothing but he did gave me the box. I stared at it first, hesitating if I should open it or not. I chose the former.

Inside were many different papers, some were pictures, some letters, and others, drawings. But what caught my eye was a picture of me and Natsume, when we were small. I gasped. I remember now! Natsume and I were childhood friends! But why did I forget something so important? This picture is obviously from a long time ago because the output of the picture is black and white.

I do remember that we were childhood friends; the question now is 'How did we meet?'

"Exactly how did we meet, Natsume?" I asked while standing up and putting the picture back in to the box.

"I don't remember either. All I remember is that we were friends back when we were small, and we made a promise with each other."

Ba-dump

"_Promise me we'll always be together."_

"_Of course! We'll always be together no matter what!"_

"_It's a promise!"_

"MIKAN!"

"Huh? What?"

"I've been calling you for the past 30 seconds. Is something the matter?"

"Sorry, it's nothing. What were you saying?"

"I asked if you still remember that river we used to go to."

"Of course I remember that place! Let's go! I'll race you there!" and with that said, I started to run wherever my feet would take me. I just hope it'll take me to the right place.

- END OF P.O.V –

Mikan ran from here to there, trying to remember the way from the back of her mind. And she successfully did.

"This place remained the same." Mikan said then she took a long, breath intake. She sat on a large rock while she waited for Natsume to arrive.

Five minutes passed and Natsume was still not there.

'What is taking him so long?' Mikan thought. She was getting bored so she played with the water to pass time. While she was playing, the wind blew strongly, swaying the trees and playing with Mikan's hair. She suddenly felt a shiver pass her spine. All her hairs rose. Someone or something must be watching her. She turned around slowly and saw the most gruesome scene.

'Where the hell am I?!'

When Mikan turned her head, she was in a completely different place. It looks like a great hall of some sort. Blood was everywhere. Bodies scattered on the ground. The sound of a woman maniacally laughing heard from the distance, gave Mikan a very frightful expression.

She wanted to scream but no sound came from her open mouth. The laughter came closer. It's as if the woman laughing was beside her.

"_Long time no see, dearest sister."_

Mikan stiffened. She slowly turned her head to the one who whispered, hoping that what she heard was just her imagination.

Wrong move.

The moment she turned her head to the side, she saw someone who awfully looks like her, wearing a white kimono stained with blood, screaming malice all over her.

'She's the one who I saw at the bathroom!!'

The Mikan-look-alike had her hands outstretched, as if reaching for Mikan's neck. The latter wants to run out of the horrid place but she can't move her feet. It's as if her feet were glued to the floor.

"_Why did you leave? You promised me you won't. Why?"_

She kept on repeating the same sentence while she was coming closer. Only a few inches until she reaches Mikan's neck and strangle her to death.

2 inches

1 inch

1 centimeter

Then she stopped.

"_With this, we could finally be together." _She said before giving out a freaky, sly smile. And at that time, Mikan really just wants to scream.

"KYAAAAAAAAAAAA!!" she screamed out loud which could shook the whole place up, but didn't. But it did shake Mikan's world.

"MIKAN! MIKAN! WAKE UP!" Natsume said, for the umpteenth time, while shaking Mikan awake.

"WHAT THE HELL, MIKAN?! I'VE BEEN TRYING TO WAKE YOU UP 10 MINUTES AGO! SOMETHING IS DEFINITELY…" he wasn't able to continue his sentence because Mikan started crying. He raised one brow before sighing then hugging her close to his chest.

"Sshh. Stop crying, you'll look ugly. Now, what happened?"

"Th-there was…s-someone. S-she…m-me." Another sigh escaped from Natsume.

" Okay, let's just get out of here." He held Mikan close to him, then they started to walk back to the car.

It's been very quiet inside Natsume's car. No one was speaking. Mikan was still crying, but not as hysterical as before. Natsume had his eyes on the road all the time. He will never take Mikan back to that place. What happened there with Mikan? He has no idea. But he won't ask her about it, she might break down to hysterical cries again.

As Natsume was driving, he spotted a little girl waving her small arms frantically as if trying to get help.

"Oh my God." He heard Mikan mumble. He was about to stop the car when Mikan shouted. "Don't stop the car! Please don't!" she started to cry again. She kept on mumbling 'Don't stop' so he didn't. He continued to drive, passing the small girl. When he looked at his rear-view mirror to see the girl, she was gone.

"Who the hell was that girl?" he asked. Mikan wiped all her tears first before answering.

"She was the girl I saw in the comfort room in the gas station." She simply stated. "She's the one who told me… who told me that I would die soon."

"…"

"Creepy, I know. She even called me Chou-sama (Chou means butterfly)." She finished then her phone started ringing. She quickly fished it out of her bag then looked at the caller id first. It says 'Hotaru'.

"Hello, Hotaru!"

"_Hey baka. What is taking you guys so long?"_

"Oh, you mean you're already there? Aw, we lost."

"_Obviously. Now where are you?"_

"I don't know myself. But the GPS says we're on Butterfly Hills."

"_Butterfly Hills? Hmm, sounds familiar. Well, whatever, just arrive here before nightfall or else."_

"But the sun is already setting over here! How are we supposed to arrive there then?"

"_What? But it's only 4 here. What time is it on your watch?"_

"Huh? Oh, it's half past six."

"_Oh no. I think I know Butterfly Hills now. Mikan, tell Natsume to turn the car right now!"_

"What? But we're almost there!"

"_No buts! Just listen to me Mikan! Butterfly Hills…deserted…sun sets… go back…"_

"Hello? Hotaru! I don't understand what you're saying!"

"_Turn back…dangerous! __Ksssssshhhhhhh__."_ The line suddenly went dead, and Mikan could no longer hear anything."

"Hotaru? Hello? Hotaru!"

"_Ksssshhhhh…. Everyone…" _now she heard an awfully familiar and creepy voice that doesn't belong to Hotaru

"Hotaru?"

"_DIE!!"_ an ear-splitting scream was heard and as a reflex, Mikan threw the phone away.

"Hey, what happened?" the oblivious Natsume asked the now pale Mikan.

"Natsume…turn the car around." she stated robotically, still staring at her phone now on the car floor.

"Huh? Why?"

"Just do it!" the two were bickering and no one noticed someone walking across the road. But good thing Natsume saw it at the corner of his eye and before that person gets hurt, he quickly steered the car to the right which earned them a hit on a tree, and both of them, unconscious.

In the background, you could here a soft giggle of a small girl, and the person walking across the street, is nowhere to be seen.

******I am so gonna die. If you want you can kill me now for a very late update. I didn't mean for this story to be late! It's just that our classes started last last last week and we already had so many assignments. Don't ask how many because it's too many to mention.**

******Anyway, I'm so sorry again, please don't get really angry. But you, my dear reader has a right to be angry, just not really angry. Did you get that?**

******Okay, whatever. Next chapter will be about the two being lost in a village, and could be trapped there forever. Maybe one will be left behind while the other… WAIT! I'M GIVING TOO MUCH INFO! SORRY TO THOSE WHO DOESN'T WANT SPOILERS! I HATE THEM MYSELF, WHICH MEANS I HATE ME!!**

******-Kurenai Chou**


	5. Butterfly Hills

**OHAYO/KONNICHIWA/KONBANWA DEAR READER! SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE, I HOPE YOU WOULD STILL REVIEW. DON'T GET MAD; I HAD A LOT TO DO SO THE STORY CAME LATE. VER VERY LATE. BUT ANYWAYS, JUST READ IT AND I HOPE YOU REVIEW. I WON'T BLAME YOU IF YOU DON'T.**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Gakuen Alice or any of its characters. It belongs to Tachibana Higuchi. I only own this story and some characters I made myself.

**XxX**

_Dark. It's dark in here. I don't want to be alone._

_**XxX**_

**-NATSUME'S POV-**

I woke up, feeling a slight headache. What the hell happened? I blinked my eyes a few times so they would adjust to the darkness. It must be nighttime already. When they finally did, I saw the front of my car, smashed by a tree just standing there. Why my car? I shook my head slightly. It may be the reason why my head hurts a lot, and why the side of my head is bleeding.

I looked to my side to see if Mikan is alright but I saw no Mikan sitting there. I panicked. I looked around then at the back seat but she wasn't there. Even her bag was missing! Where the hell is she?!

I got out of the car to search for Mikan. With my bag with me, I set off in to the dark forest ahead. I lit a small fire ball, so small for me to not get tired easily but big enough to light my path.

_Be safe, Mikan._

**-NORMAL POV-**

As Natsume was walking, he kept on calling Mikan's name. But all he got as a reply was silence. He tried to remember what happened earlier but he just can't. Remember later, search now. His first priority is to find Mikan and get the hell out of there. Is that a hard thing to do?

Natsume is still walking, getting a little tired. How long has he been walking anyway? But no matter how tired, he won't give up easily. He continued to walk until he reached a long, wooden bridge that leads to a very big village of some sort. He squinted his eyes a little and saw a figure walking towards the village. After looking closely, he realized that it was Mikan.

"Oi! Mikan!" He called out then started running. She didn't even look back when he called her. As he ran, he let the fireball he lit burn out.

_What the fuck?! It's like this bridge is continually extending! _True enough, after running half a minute, he still hasn't reached Mikan. And I'm telling you, Natsume is a very, _very_ fast runner.

Finally, Natsume was able to catch up. When he touched her shoulder, she suddenly disappeared and was replaced by hundreds of crimson butterflies.

_What the hell?!_

The butterflies flew towards the village and Natsume then realized that a large wooden door was being opened by Mikan.

_That idiot!_ Natsume ran again, but this time, he had finally caught her wrist and turn her around to face him. He was shocked for awhile to see her beautiful, brown eyes had actually lost its color.

"Mikan. Mikan snap out of it!" he gently slapped her face and continued to shake her shoulders. "Mikan!" he continued shaking her when she started to talk incoherent words.

"Th-the lost…village. Crimson… Butterflies… Blood… Sacrifice."

"Mikan, what are you saying?! Snap out of it! Wake up!"

"Everyone… died!" an ear-piercing scream was heard coming out of her mouth. Then, insane laughter. After a few seconds, silence came. Mikan fainted. He removed his bag from his back then placed it under her head to serve as her pillow.

"Mikan? Mikan, wake up!" after completely forgetting where they were for a few minutes, Natsume stood up; leaving Mikan on the floor then checked the surroundings.

_No sign of people or any animals. Where is this place?_ He walked forward, following the path made by putting rocks at both sides of the road. It was very foggy and dark in the place but he could tell that there were five houses, two at the left, two at the right, and the last one, a very big manor, at the very end of the path. Maybe this is a very big land owned by a very rich family who has many family members and invited them to live with them.

With a closer inspection, you could immediately say that the houses were built in the 50s, if not in the 60s. Abandoned, all of them were dilapidated and desolate, getting old and fragile in each passing year. Nobody has lived here for 10 years or even less.

While checking out the place, Natsume heard a soft whimper then saw that it came from Mikan. He quickly went and kneeled beside her then hugged her.

"Oh God. Thank goodness you're awake. How are you? Are you feeling good?" he asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Huh? Wh-what happened? Where are we?!" she was shaking uncontrollably now. Tears running down her face, already making Natsume's shirt wet.

"It's okay. Calm down. I don't know where we are but I feel like I've been here before."

"I'm scared. I can't take it anymore! Let get out of here! You won't leave me here right?! 'Cause if you leave me, I don't know what to do!"

"Sshh! I said calm down right? If you really want to get out that much, stop the talking and start walking. Now let's go." They both stood up, dusted their clothes, then started to walk toward the big wooden door when they realized it was closed tightly.

"Hmm. Weird. I don't remember closing this stupid door." Natsume calmly stated, looking at the door up and down.

"Oh no! We're locked up in here!" Mikan started to panic again.

"No, we aren't. You're forgetting one important fact that we are alices, and you're with someone with a very strong alice who could easily burn that door with a flick of the wrist. Now stand back. This could get pretty dirty." She obeyed then moved a few steps back.

He looked at the door for another moment before raising his hand, palms facing the door, then let his alice out. But there was one slight problem,

**Nothing came out.**

"Oh-kay. You could let it out now, Natsume. This place is getting creepier every passing second."

"Just wait, okay?" he tried again but now with two hands. Still, nothing came out. "There's something wrong here. Are you using your nullifying alice on me?"

"No. I don't think I am. Am I?"

"Argh! It just won't wok!" and with that said, he suddenly kicked the door with all his might. The impact was so strong it could have destroyed the door, but it didn't. Instead, dust could be seen floating off of the door and they could clearly see a beautifully painted butterfly with its wings spread open.

"A…butterfly?" Mikan said. She was in a thinking position when she remembered something. "That's right! I remembered Hotaru saying something of Butterfly Hills? Maybe that's where we are." As she was saying this, she slowly walked towards the door, her right arm stretched out to touch it. When her hand did touch it, her body became stiff and she felt all the hairs at the back of her neck stand. Her visions became suddenly blurred. She was feeling light-headed. Then she hear her name being called before being swallowed up in darkness.

_-_

_-_

"_You finally came."_

-

-

**XxX**

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:** Okay then! That's the end of this chapter! Next chapter would be about Mikan's past life. Why were they in Butterfly Hills? What's with the butterfly symbol? What's with the freaky little girl? What's with the Mikan-look-alike? All these questions would be answered in the following chapters. Just patiently wait for it.

I won't be promising that I would update soon. It's really hard keeping this story alive. Maybe it would be on hiatus again. But let's hope it's not for a very long time like what happened to this chapter. I'm very sorry for the late update by the way. Well, at least I did update, right? Right?

Anyways, I hope you'd still read my story. And don't forget to review! Reviews inspire me to continue :]

PS: I got this story from a survival/horror game I really love. It's a game in the PS2. If you know what it is, then tell it to me by a review! I would appreciate it very much. Oh, and if someone gets it right, then the prize is a virtual cookie! I love cookies! Or maybe pie? It's your choice! And the second prize would be a faster update! I'll try, okay?

Thanks very much!

Signed,

-Kurenai Chou :]


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